Kouglof

Pour kirsch and a little water into a bowl, add sultanas and soak for 30 minutes.

Put yeast and milk in bowl and run BREAD/BRIOCHE programme.  When programme stops, open lid, add softened butter cut into pieces, salt, castor sugar, flour and egg and run programme again by pressing Auto. If necessary, push down dough with spatula at end of programme and run for another 15 seconds. Remove dough (it should be sticky) and place in floured mixing bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes, covered with a moist tea towel.

After coating your hands with flour, gently knock down dough with fist to remove air, then add drained sultanas. The dough must be sticky.

Generously grease a terracotta kouglof pan, place blanched almonds in bottom and push dough into pan up to three-quarters of height.  Stand in 30°C (th. 1) oven for 1 1/2 hours. If your oven does not go below 50°C, leave door ajar during rising period.

After 1 1/2 hours, the dough should have reached the top of the pan. Remove kouglof from oven. Increase oven temperature to 180°C (th. 6) then bake for 50 minutes.

Let kouglof cool before removing from pan. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and leave aside for 2 days before serving.